By Paul W. Werth (NHC Fellow, 2007–08) The Russian Empire presented itself to its subjects and the world as an Orthodox state, a patron and defender of Eastern Christianity. Yet the tsarist regime also lauded itself for granting religious freedoms to its many heterodox subjects, making 'religious toleration' a core attribute of the state's identity. The … Continued
By Eleonore Stump (NHC Fellow, 1999–00) Only the most naive or tendentious among us would deny the extent and intensity of suffering in the world. Can one hold, consistently with the common view of suffering in the world, that there is an omniscient, omnipotent, perfectly good God? This book argues that one can. Wandering in … Continued
By Conor Cruise O’Brien (NHC Fellow, 1993–94) Scholar and statesman Conor Cruise O’Brien illuminates why peace has been so elusive in Northern Ireland. He explains the conflation of religion and nation through Irish history into our own time. Using his life as a prism through which he interprets Ireland’s past and present, O’Brien identifies case … Continued
By Dorothy C. Wong (NHC Fellow, 2011–12) The period ca. 645-770 marked an extraordinary era in the development of East Asian Buddhism and Buddhist art. Increased contacts between China and regions to both its west and east facilitated exchanges and the circulation of ideas, practices and art forms, giving rise to a synthetic art style … Continued
By Craig A. Monson (NHC Fellow, 1992–93) Piecing together 200 years of convent history, this engaging narrative tells the story of the nuns of Santa Cristina della Fondazza—gifted singers, instrumentalists, and composers who used music to circumvent ecclesiastical authority and to forge links with the world beyond convent walls. Craig Monson reconstructs the daily lives … Continued
By Bart D. Ehrman (NHC Fellow, 2009–10; 2018–19) "Arguably the most distinctive feature of the early Christian literature," writes Bart Ehrman, "is the degree to which it was forged." The Homilies and Recognitions of Clement; Paul's letters to and from Seneca; Gospels by Peter, Thomas, and Philip; Jesus' correspondence with Abgar, letters by Peter and Paul in the New … Continued
By Bart D. Ehrman (NHC Fellow, 2009–10; 2018–19) What happens when we die? A recent Pew Research poll showed that 72% of Americans believe in a literal heaven, 58% in a literal hell. Most people who hold these beliefs are Christian and assume they are the age-old teachings of the Bible. But eternal rewards and … Continued
By Einar Thomassen (NHC Fellow, 1999–00) The history of Christianity from the beginning to the present day can be told in many ways and seen from many points of view. This book brings theology and the science of religion together in the description of the Christian religion and its history. Christianity as it has been practiced and … Continued
By J. P. Fokkelman (NHC Fellow, 1990–91) Narrative Art and Poetry in the Books of Samuel is the vast undertaking to interpret all the material in Samuel. Everything that the text has to offer can only be understood and appreciated to the full, and its interpretation can only lay claim to full validity by means of … Continued
By Winnifred Fallers Sullivan (NHC Fellow, 2006–07) More than the citizens of most countries, Americans are either religious or in jail — or both. But what does it mean when imprisonment and evangelization actually go hand in hand, or at least appear to? What do “faith-based” prison programs mean for the constitutional separation of church and state, … Continued